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Don't run over this duck at the Super Bowl of trucking

By Tom Wharton, The Salt Lake Tribune

Posted:
08/23/2013 06:25:27 PM MDT

Updated:
08/23/2013 06:26:20 PM MDT

The audience watches as drivers compete in a driving course inside the Salt Palace Convention Center for the American Trucking Association National Truck Driving Championships in which 424 of the best professional truck drivers from around the country competed in nine different truck classes. (Al Hartmann/The Salt Lake Tribune)

The bigwigs of the big rigs are in Salt Lake City this weekend to crown the kings of the road.

The American Trucking Association's National Truck Driving Championships — taking place through Saturday at the Salt Palace — feature 424 truckers from 50 states, all of them all stars and all of them with the skills, stamina and driving accolades to make it to the "Super Bowl of Safety."

The 76th annual event pits state champions in nine classes against one another in a difficult competition that includes driving skills, a written test and a pre-trip inspection exam.

A judge watches as a driver in the twin trailer negotiates a hard right turn and road debris (the rubber duck) as it makes its way through the course inside the Salt Palace Convention Center for the American Trucking Association National Truck Driving Championships. The rubber duck survived with a good three inches to spare. (Al Hartmann/The Salt Lake Tribune)

The free and open-to-the-public event gives folks a chance to see drivers negotiate an indoor course with a truck that is not their own. They face challenges such as braking, parking, backing, maneuvering through tight spots, judging distances and depth perception within a predetermined amount of time.

To qualify, truckers such as Utah straight truck champion Judd Adams, of Taylorsville, must be accident-free for 12 months and win their state title. This is the fourth time Adams has competed in the nationals. He finished in the middle of the pack the first two years but qualified for Saturday's finals, when the top five drivers in each class face off.

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"You need to be aware of safety when driving daily," said Adams, who covers a local route for Con-Way Freight. "If you are not focused on what you are doing, there are all kinds of hazards on the road."

Adams hopes for a home-course edge. If he were to prevail, he would not only earn the $1,000 first prize awarded by the ATA but Con-Way Freight also would buy him a $45,000 pickup.

According to the ATA, there has been a 75 percent jump in the number of registered large trucks in the past 20 years. But, in the past decade, the number of truck-involved fatalities has fallen by 28 percent and the number of truck-involved injuries has dropped by 39 percent.

"These professionals are the best of the best," said Jim Daulerio, of New Jersey, chairman of the event, which was last held in Salt Lake City nine years ago and is expected to bring 2,500 people to town. "They have to be accident-free day after day. The main objective is safety."

Oregon's Jeff Turner, safety manager for Con-way Freight, said the skills tests are designed to simulate challenges drivers must face every day such as approaching a scale, backing up into a loading area or parking a big rig in a tight spot. The competition is so demanding that touching a barrier or cone means zero points. In some tests, drivers have 18 inches to work with.

"Drivers practice on their own, sometimes with something set up in the yard," Turner said. "They are like a sharpshooter with a rifle. They practice and practice."

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